Michael Crabtree was released by the Oakland Raiders. He is scheduled to meet the Ravens in Owings Mills tomorrow:
Former Raiders' WR Michael Crabtree is scheduled to visit Friday with the Baltimore Ravens, per source.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 15, 2018
The Baltimore Ravens are going to get a shot at signing a big named wide receiver this offseason. According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Crabtree will visit with the Ravens Friday. It’s been a crazy day for the Ravens. First Crabtree becomes available after the Raiders pick up Jordy Nelson (another player the Ravens wanted), then Ryan Grant failed his physical. The Ravens voided their offer with Grant and here we are.
There is a lot to unpack here. It’s been a crazy stretch. The first thing to remember is that there is a lot we don’t know about the Grant situation as it stands now. Secondly, the only thing that really matters at this point is bringing in Crabtree. Crabtree is a touchdown scoring machine. Crabtree had eight touchdowns in 2017. He also had eight touchdowns in 2016 and he had nine touchdown receptions in 2015.
The Ravens know all about Crabtree’s propensity for crossing the pylons with the football. Crabtree has scored five touchdowns against the Ravens in the past three seasons. Crabtree is still capable of big time performances. When you look at his numbers it’s important to remember that the Raiders numbers were down all across the board. It’s also worth noting that he led the Raiders in receptions and touchdown receptions, while coming in third in terms of receiving yards.
The Ravens need to make this move:
In 2016, Crabtree had 89 receptions and over 1,000 yards. The Ravens could realistically see that kind of production from Crabtree if they ink a deal with him. Crabtree would become the number one target of the offense and it doesn’t really look like he’s lost a step. The 30-year-old receiver has some good football left to play. Ozzie Newsome has to make sure that he plays it in Baltimore.
Next: Ryan Grant's Contract falls through with the Ravens
The Ravens have a history of bringing in receivers that have been discarded from their longtime NFL homes. Steve Smith Sr. worked out pretty well for the purple and black. Derrick Mason was one of the best Ravens of all time. After eight seasons with the Tennessee Titans, Mason went on to have a great stretch of his career in Baltimore. Bringing in Crabtree could end up being another example of the Ravens benefiting from veteran wide receivers. Newsome has to lock it up tomorrow.